There is No Picture of JFK Hanging in My Grandmother’s House

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

There is a lot to dissect from last night, and if there is one thing we can all agree on, it is that it is wise not to jump to assumptions too soon. So I won’t jump to conclusions, but rather share some observations, thoughts and pet-peeves I have had since the big "Kennedy to the rescue" storyline unfolded as it relates to "wooing" the Latino vote (or Hispanic depending on what state you are in).  I also have two hopes coming out of last night -- that 1) we can finally put to rest that stupid stereotype that Latinos worship at the altar of Kennedy (literally, that his photo is hung next to the crucifix in all our homes) and 2) if we are moving into a world "free of identity politics" then it means that campaigns legitimately must cultivate and invest in efforts to engage the Latino electorate and community -- not as a separate strategy or afterthought. There is no picture of JFK hanging in my grandmother’s house. Or my mother’s for that matter, or in the homes of her 10 sisters and brothers or in the homes of my 31st cousins, despite what Chuck Todd may think. And really, since he’s making generalities -- Chuck -- have you been inside a Latino’s home lately? When I saw the pictures of Obama and Kennedy on Univision in their sit-down interview and watched Kennedy tell Latino’s that it was ok for us to support Obama, it was painful and embarrassing. It’s as embarrassing as when Democratic consultants use images of Pete Wilson to "scare" Latinos into voting a certain way because polls show he’s still unpopular -- that’s just lazy and again, doesn’t acknowledge the growing importance and diversity of the Latino community. Can we all agree not to engage in this type of embarrassing stereotyping -- or worse call it "Latino outreach" or make it part of your campaign’s "Hispanic strategy". There's more...